TECUMSEH — A pastime that started as a supplement to Thursday night television viewing is turning into something more for Kassie Gray.

Gray, who moved from Adrian to Tecumseh in April 2011, is crocheting items and selling them at Blush Boutique apparel store in downtown Tecumseh. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the American Cancer Society.

Gray, 27, credited a friend and two of her relatives with getting her interested in the craft. It started as a way to keep busy while watching one of her favorite television shows.

“Erica Sellers and I started crocheting while watching ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’ We’re both left-handed and she passed along the basics,” Gray said. “My great-grandmother (Dola Frederick) sewed quilts and my grandmother, Betty Frederick, also crocheted. She was my inspiration. I’ve always been creative, (but) I didn’t think a hook and ball of yarn would be so much fun.”

The idea of selling her creations and donating to the American Cancer Society was the result of Frederick’s death. She died in July from cancer.

“Her death encouraged me to reach out in Lenawee County,” Gray said. “I attended a benefit for a 4-year old girl with leukemia. Her hair was nearly gone from the evasive treatments. I looked at her and thought, ‘I have to help.’ ”

A single mother with a son, Gray is an administrative assistant at a law firm in Toledo. Her first finished piece was a baby blanket, and she has expanded her creations to include scarves and other fashion accessories.

Gray has only been crocheting for a short time, but has created a great number of scarves and other fashion accessories. These are being sold at Blush Boutique, 154 E. Chicago Blvd. in Tecumseh.

“This all started as a hobby in the spring of 2012. Then it hit me, ‘What could I do with this?,’ ” Gray said. “We work, we come home. We do it all over again. At the end of the day I want it all to mean something. I can spend week after week living by routine. Or I can be passionate about what I do.”

Before she started, Gray thought crocheting was for older women, passing the time in their rocking chairs. As she began creating her items, Gray discovered a talent inherited from her grandmother and great-grandmother. It is a talent she also discovered is fun and relaxing.

“For me, a hook and skein of yarn is therapeutic,” Gray said. “I pass away hours making stitch after stitch. If I can donate a little to help others, to support a cause, well, that’s really what this is all about.”

Page 2 of 2 - Holly DeWitt opened of Blush Boutique in 2011 and became friends with Gray, who is one of her most loyal customers.

“She is a frequent customer, and over time we developed a friendship,” DeWitt said. “When I found out what she was doing I thought it was a great idea.”

A section of Blush Boutique is set up for the display of the crocheted scarves, noting a portion of the proceeds are going to the American Cancer Society. DeWitt said the creations are unique and have a very interesting design.

“You don’t see them everywhere. They are trendy, yet chic and fashionable,” she said. “Anyone can wear them, if you are 15 or 50.”

Gray finds the more she crochets, the more she improves and expands her inventory. She has created a number of KrochetbyKassie scarves which are sold at Blush Boutique and through her Facebook page.